


it takes three to tango

by EnderFlash



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 104th Training Corps - Freeform, Bertolt spelled Bertholdt, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29497419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnderFlash/pseuds/EnderFlash
Summary: Connie doesn't know what to make of Bertholdt Hoover. He's competent, almost scarily so, but he's also too nice and quiet to actually intimidate anyone. So in Connie's mind he just kinda exists, in the periphery, as Reiner's Tall Friend. Then, by some stroke of luck, Bertholdt ends up on the same team as him and Sasha for one of Shadis's group exercises, and Connie gets the chance to know him a little better—and ends up with a few more questions than he started out with....Or: Poor Bertholdt's just trying to do his mission, and ends up having to chaperone some kids.
Relationships: Connie Springer & Bertolt Hoover, Connie Springer & Sasha Blouse & Bertolt Hoover, Implied Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover - Relationship, Sasha Blouse & Connie Springer
Comments: 11
Kudos: 49





	it takes three to tango

**Author's Note:**

> I love Bertholdt dearly and I love Sasha and Connie dearly, so I want to see more of these three interacting. I think Bertholdt would have a grand time trying to wrangle in these two lil monkeys.

“Form groups of three!” Instructor Shadis’s voice boomed over the trainees, snapping everyone to attention. The sun’s glare beat down hard that afternoon, but Shadis’s glare was worse, and all the complaints that had been floating around petered out. “Today’s survival test will be graded on teamwork, time, and of course, completion! You and your group will be given a compass and a map, and expected to navigate through the forest to reach all designated checkpoints, where you’ll find containers with colored cards inside! Bring back all three within two hours for full marks!”

Connie yawned, still drowsy from his ill-timed nap after lunch. It sounded like a scavenger hunt. He did those all the time with the other kids in Ragako Village—even headed a few, for his siblings. He looked to where Sasha was standing a few trainees down, and they locked eyes and nodded. He raised an eyebrow and mouthed, third? She frowned. Jean, maybe, she mouthed back.

Both of them turned to the row in front of them, where Jean was just barely standing at attention. He didn’t look back. Connie met eyes with Sasha again and gave a one-shouldered shrug, pointing to Marco and making a face. A look of understanding dawned on her, followed by a pensive one. 

Neither of them wanted to be grouped with someone unfriendly or unfamiliar. But most people they knew had their pairs and trios. Connie thought about asking Annie, and then quickly discarded it. She’d probably break their necks five minutes into the exercise. Maybe Mina. She was nice enough. 

“Excuse me, sir!” A few rows ahead of them, Armin raised his hand. “How will teamwork be graded? Will we have someone tailing us?”

“It’ll be a peer evaluation,” Shadis responded, lifting a thick envelope into the air. “After the two hours, you’ll return here—or be dragged back—and fill out these forms, on how you thought the other two performed. It won’t be much of your grade, but try not to piss off your partners too bad!”

It took everything Connie had not to pump the air. He’d give Sasha a perfect score, and she’d do the same for him, so now all they needed was someone accommodating to round out their group.

“The groups will be staggered! Figure out your partners and then come draw lots to decide the order!” Shadis yelled, gesturing to a box on the chair next to him. “You have five minutes!”

Immediately, trainees broke rank and started calling for their friends. Connie hurried over to Sasha, who met him halfway and bumped forearms in acknowledgment. They shared a grin, then ran in opposite directions to look for the last member of their group.

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were automatically out. Connie squinted behind him, to where he was pretty sure he saw Mina standing before, but there were too many kids walking around, forming clusters, and all of them were unfairly tall. He tried jumping to look over their heads, but Mina wasn’t the tallest, either, and he couldn’t spot her over any shoulders. 

He did spot Samuel, who didn’t seem to be with anyone. Connie squeezed through the crowd to get to him and grabbed his shoulder. “Hey, Samuel! Gotten anyone yet?”

“Oh, Connie,” Samuel said, and just then Connie noticed Daz and Mina standing a few steps away from him. “Sorry, but I’ve already got people. You’re with Sasha, right? Good luck finding a third.”

Connie groaned. “Thanks,” he sighed, and turned away to think of who else he could invite. By now, the crowd was noticeably fragmenting into groups of three, and some people were already at the table drawing lots. He crossed his arms when he saw Jean, Marco, and Reiner walk by; the burly blond had his arms wrapped around Marco’s shoulders and was laughing about something, and Jean was scowling, like usual. Lucky, quick-working bastards.

Hold on. Connie screwed up his face. If Reiner was with Jean and Marco, then... 

It wasn’t hard to find the person who towered over everyone else. “Bertholdt!” He exclaimed, scampering over with a grin. Bertholdt’s consternated expression shifted into mild surprise upon noticing Connie, though his body language still looked wary. “Got ditched by Reiner? Wanna join me and Sasha?”

Bertholdt stared at him for a moment, and Connie wondered if he shouldn’t have brought up Reiner. Laughing nervously, he added, “Of course, you don’t have to or anything, I just thought you looked a bit lonely standing there. Or not lonely, just kinda, not having anything better to—”

“It’s fine, Connie, I get it,” Bertholdt chuckled nervously, his face softening. “I’d be happy to go with you two.”

“Great!” Connie exclaimed, and it was genuine relief that rushed through him. He didn’t talk to the taller boy much, aside from when Bertholdt got drawn into his banter with Reiner, but he was nice enough. Didn’t seem like the type to be a harsh grader, even out of spite. “Let’s get back to Sasha! I’m not sure where she is, but if we look to where the noise is, it probably isn’t hard to find her...”

“I see her,” Bertholdt said, pointing over a crowd of chattering trainees. Connie twisted his head this way and that, trying not to be obvious with his tip-toeing, but he couldn’t see anything beyond the first two layers of people. 

He scoffed and playfully elbowed Bertholdt. “Must be nice being tall, eh? I sure wish I could see all that scenery.”

Bertholdt’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “I suppose.”

Before Connie could figure out if Bertholdt was going along with the joke or poking fun at him, Sasha yelling his name drew his attention. She charged out of the crowd, pushing a few disgruntled trainees to the side, and came to a panting stop before him. “Connie!” She cried, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “I couldn’t find anyone! We might hafta get split up!”

“Sasha, calm down,” Connie said, as if he hadn’t been panicking a few moments earlier. “Bertholdt didn’t have a group, so he’s up to join ours.”

“Oh!” Sasha smiled at Connie, and then at Bertholdt. “Thank you so much!” She bowed deeply.

“It’s, it’s fine,” Berholdt stammered, visibly flustered. She didn’t rise immediately, and he glanced at Connie for help.

“Hey, Sasha, you don’t need to be that polite!” Connie lightly slapped her on the back, jolting her ramrod-straight. “He’s the same age as us. Plus, this is just a group assignment, it’s no biggie. Right, Bertholdt?”

“Right,” Bertholdt echoed, looking relieved. Connie felt sorry for the guy. He didn’t look like he enjoyed being the center of attention, and with Sasha and her antics around, they’d be catching a lot of eyes. “Um, we should probably get in line before Instructor Shadis yells at us any more.”

“Shoot, you’re right!” Connie shot a glance at Shadis, who was glaring at all the trainees. Did he look a little more irritated than before? He didn’t want to risk it. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

The three of them hurried to the box and got in line. A few people in front of them, Reiner was still laughing with Marco and Jean. Out of the corner of his eye, Connie caught Bertholdt’s blank look, and wondered if something had happened between him and Reiner. Still, it wasn’t his place to ask. Them being friends didn’t mean they had to be attached at the hip, after all, and if something did happen, he wasn’t close enough to Bertholdt to pry. 

“Hey, did you have a fight with Reiner?” Sasha asked, peering up at Bertholdt. Connie gaped at her tactlessness and glanced at Bertholdt, who just frowned, troubled.

“Nothing like that,” Bertholdt said, slowly. “He... we figured some pairs would have to break up for everyone to form trios, that’s all.”

Sasha nodded sagely. “That’s true. We thank you two for your sacrifice.” 

Connie prodded Sasha. She squeaked, and he pulled her close to whisper in her ear. “Sasha, you can’t just say things like that! Even if he had a fight, it’s rude!”

“But you just told me to be less polite!”

“Not like that, dummy!” By now, their words were creeping into whisper-shouts, and Connie hoped that Bertholdt hadn’t heard them. If he had, he didn’t give any indication. Connie released Sasha, and she pouted and readjusted the lapels of her uniform. 

When they got to the box, Connie went ahead and dug his hand in to grab a slip. He pulled out one folded like a triangle and silently prayed for a really late number. The later they were, the more likely they wouldn’t go today and would be able to needle the first few groups for helpful hints. He unfolded it under Shadis’s watchful eye. A big fat “1” stared back at him.

“Damn it,” Connie muttered. At his side, Sasha let out a long groan. 

“Problem, recruits?” Shadis loomed over them, fixing them with a baleful stare that just dared them to complain. The two of them shook their heads rapidly, and he snorted. “Thought not. Get your packs, and then follow Instructor Keating to the starting point. I expect that I’ll have to fetch your asses back in two hours, but let’s see you prove me wrong.” He turned to glare at the next group, but paused. “Keep them in line, Hoover. I’m expecting more from you this time.”

As the three of them shuffled away from Shadis, Connie exhaled. “Jeez, just our luck.”  
  
“Your luck,” Sasha interjected.

“Shut up, Sasha,” Connie grumbled, without heat. “And Bertholdt’s luck, too. What did you do to get Shadis on your back like that?”

“I don’t know,” Bertholdt said, shrugging. He picked up one of the backpacks lined up on the ground and they started towards where Mister Keating was waving at them. “He’s pretty annoyed with everyone, so it’s not just me.”

“Yeah, but I bet it’s because you’re so good!” Connie grinned at Bertholdt. “You’re definitely top of the class, along with Mikasa and Reiner. I’m jealous, sometimes, but doing too well comes with its own problems, huh?”

Bertholdt shrugged again. “I’m used to it. He says these things but he never pushes too hard, so I figure I’m doing fine.”

“Shadis? Not pushing too hard?” Connie didn’t believe that for a second. “That’s pretty much the antithesis of what he is.”

“Oooh, Connie’s using big words!” Sasha giggled, nearly knocking him off his feet with an overeager nudge. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “That was from our last quiz, wasn’t it?” 

Connie wrestled with her hold, peeling her arm off him and blushing. “Stop!”

Watching them, Bertholdt let out a laugh.

“Hey, don’t laugh!” Connie protested. “When I said that we were all kids, that didn’t give you the right to treat me like one!”

Sasha shot him a sly look. “But you’re shorter, so I’m technically the more adult one of us two.”

“That makes no sense! If that were true, Bertholdt would be the most adult of us all!”

Both of them swung their heads to stare at Bertholdt, who blinked at the attention. “Er, sorry?”

“Well, that’s kinda true,” Connie amended. “But Sasha’s as much of an idiot as me. Right, Bertholdt?”

“Well—”

“Hey, that’s not fair. You admitted that my logic works with Bertholdt, so you gotta admit that I was right about you, too!”

“That’s not how it works!”

Bertholdt tried again. “I don’t think—”

“If you wanna be more adult, you should let Bertholdt carry you on his shoulders,” Sasha goaded. Then, she frowned. “Wait, I kinda want to do that. Bertholdt, would you—”

“Alright, enough chatter, kids.” Instructor Keating cut her off, looking somewhat amused by them. That embarrassed Connie enough to get him to quiet. “You’ve received your packs, right? Follow me to the entrance of the forest.”

The three followed in relatively dutiful silence. When they reached the outskirts of the forest, Keating gave them another once-over, then nodded. “Remember not to get separated and come back together; that’s the most important part of this exercise. Other than that, it’s fairly straightforward. Any last questions?”

Connie shook his head, and so did the other two.

“Alright. Get going! Your two hours starts... now!” Keating shook a pocket watch at them. Connie darted into the woods, scared to waste any second.

“Hold on, Connie, we’ve gotta stay together!” Sasha exclaimed, not two steps behind him. Bertholdt, too, matched his pace without problems. The advantage of long legs, Connie grumpily thought. “We haven’t even looked at the map yet!”

Connie stopped in his tracks. “Right,” he said, a bit chastised. He turned to Bertholdt, who was still carrying the backpack. “Let’s, uh, look at the map.”

Bertholdt swung the pack around and unfastened it without any comment, for which Connie was grateful. He pulled out a battered scroll, presumably the map, and a dinky compass. Bertholdt unrolled the parchment and then crouched down so that Sasha and Connie could crowd behind him and read it over his shoulders.

Connie squinted at the lines and symbols. “Where’d we start?”

“Over here, in the east,” Bertholdt said, pointing to the rightmost edge of the forest on the map. 

“Okay, and we’ve got to get to those colored markers,” Connie muttered, partly to himself. “That doesn’t look too bad. The closest one is...” He glanced at the directional compass printed onto the corner of the map. “To the north...west?”

“Yes, you’re right,” Bertholdt confirmed, and Connie couldn’t help feeling a little proud. It wasn’t much, but something about the way Bertholdt said it made it feel more of an accomplishment than it was. “It looks like it’s located on the riverbank. After that, we can look for a place to ford the river and continue on to the next checkpoint.” His finger traced their proposed journey, stopping at a bright green marker on the map.

“Sounds good!” Connie clapped, straightening up. Sasha had been awfully silent, and he sidled up to her. “What’s wrong? Did sleeping through all those classes finally catch up to you?”

She grumbled something unintelligible. “I’m hungry, okay? It’s hard to think on an empty stomach. And don’t act like you don’t sleep through just as many lectures! You just got lucky on the ones you skipped!”

“W-well,” Connie started, because he couldn’t deny that, “you come from a hunter family, don't cha? Shouldn’t you be familiar with forests anyway?”

“We never used maps or compasses... We got by the lay of the land.” Sasha huffed. “And you come from the country too, so you can’t pull that card on me.” 

“Nobody in Ragako hunts for a living! I never had to know!” Connie defended.“What about you, Bertholdt? You seem to be pretty good at this.”

“Huh?” Bertholdt scrunched his face, taking a moment to answer. He stood up and slipped the backpack back on, though he kept the map and compass out. “I grew up in a pretty forested place, I guess... Though we weren’t hunters.”

“You guess? You’re not sure where you grew up?” At Bertholdt’s wince, Connie backtracked. “Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to get smart on you.” He elbowed Sasha, to pre-emptively cut off a joke from her about his smarts. “I didn’t know you were a hick like us. What’s your place called?”

“You probably wouldn’t know it,” Bertholdt said, not looking at Connie. He started to walk, prompting the two of them to follow. “It’s somewhere to the south.”

“Hey, don’t underestimate me.” Connie puffed out his chest. “I may fail most of my classes, but geography isn’t one of them. I’ve actually got most of the settlements along the southern border of Wall Rose memorized, and I’m pretty sure I’d be able to recognize most names. In fact, if your place is close enough, maybe me and Sasha could—”

“My village was in the southeast past of Wall Maria,” Bertholdt interrupted, speaking quickly and flatly. 

Oh. Now Connie felt even more like an idiot than usual. He side-eyed Sasha, who just shook her head at him, looking as lost for words as him. He’d heard that Bertholdt and Reiner had come from the same village, too. Suddenly, he regretted every time he’d looked at the two of them and been jealous, because of course they were so motivated—they’d seen the terror of titans for themselves, and it must’ve hardened them in some way. He knew Mikasa and Eren had seen Eren’s mom get eaten, too, and they were also some of the best in the class. An idiot like him, who’d lived an idyllic life in some nowhere village, could never compare. 

They made their way through the undergrowth in uneasy silence. Normally, Connie would banter with Sasha the entire time, but now any attempts at levity felt inappropriate. 

Suddenly, Bertholdt’s arm was in front of Connie’s chest, stopping him from taking another stop. He made a surprised noise, and looked up at the other boy, half-expecting a belated reprimand for bringing up bad memories, but there was nothing but concern on his face. “Be careful,” Bertholdt said, and Connie looked down. There wasn’t anything but leaves and grass. Then, Bertholdt moved aside a clump of wet leaves with his boot, revealing a divot in the earth. It was shallow, which is why Connie hadn’t noticed, but he’d seen kids twist their ankles from less. 

“Jeez, thanks, Bertholdt,” Connie said, mentally kicking himself. “I didn’t see it at all.”

“No need to thank me. This exercise is about teamwork, after all.” Bertholdt shot him a little grin. “If you hurt yourself, and couldn’t walk, we’d be in trouble. It sounded to me like you didn’t want to be carried by me, after all, and I doubt Sasha would be able to do it.”

It took a beat to realize that Bertholdt was continuing the banter. It wasn’t something he expected from him, so it took him off guard, but then a reciprocating smile crept onto Connie’s face. “Well, I wouldn’t know about that. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to stop Sasha from stealing off your plate, but... there’s some deep, deep reserves of strengths there.”

Sasha spluttered useless denials and protests, and both boys laughed at her reddening face. 

They continued like that for the rest of the trek to the river. Connie and Sasha would fling their usual insults and jokes at each other, with Bertholdt mostly watching in amusement, and on occasion he’d pipe in or be dragged into a silly argument. It wasn’t bad at all, Connie realized. He’d mostly thought of Bertholdt as that kid who hung around Reiner, and always felt him kind of stand-offish. It was from a mixture of intimidation, from his apparent competence and height, and the feeling that if he made the wrong joke the taller boy would bolt, or at least make things very, very awkward. 

But while Bertholdt wasn’t as uproariously funny as Reiner, or as smooth in his responses, he was a good listener, no matter how stupid the story was. Even when he didn’t laugh at a joke, he took it in stride. Sasha groaning and laughing at him was fun and all, but Connie could admit it felt nice to have someone take him a little more seriously.

“I hear water!” Sasha suddenly exclaimed, before Connie had even seen a glimpse of the river. “We’re close, guys!”

Connie knew at this point to trust Sasha’s senses. “Let’s hurry, then!” Grabbing Bertholdt and Sasha’s sleeves, he picked up the pace and dragged them through the trees, until he too could hear the rush of water. The earth began to feel more compact beneath his shoes, and then they emerged from the undergrowth to a smooth sandy bank. It sloped gently downwards into a wide gray river. What caught Connie’s eye was a box perched onto a conspicuous boulder, which looked completely out of place on the flat riverbank. 

“The first box!” Connie crowed, making a beeline for it. He flipped it open and grabbed their precious proof: a bright red card, made of sturdy paper. He glanced at the rest of the paper squares hazardously stacked in the box, evidently meant for future groups to take. “Do you think we’re allowed to take a second one? I don’t want to have to come back, if we lose this bit.” He waved the paper. “It’s a little flimsy...”

“Let’s not risk it,” Bertholdt said, taking the paper from Connie’s hand and putting it into the backpack. “Here, I’ll make sure nothing happens to it. It wouldn’t be fair if the last group got here and found nothing. ”

“Ah, I guess you’re right.” Connie sighed and bent over to close the box. Then, unexpectedly, two hard forearms came down his back, making him stagger and brace himself to keep from toppling over completely, and strands of hair tickled the top of his head.

“That’s right, Connie.” Sasha’s sly voice was so close to Connie’s ears that he winced. She was leaning heavily on him, and when he stretched his neck to peer at her, she was grinning down at him. “Don’t be so selfish!”

“You...” Connie’s arms came up behind him to grab Sasha’s sides, and she squealed in surprise when he began to half-pull, half-carry her towards the river. “I’ll show you selfish!” 

When she realized what he was doing, she yelled even louder and renewed her struggles to escape his grip. He was holding her with an awkward backwards grip, so after a few rough twists she managed to break from his hold. She retreated a few steps, and then crouched, eyeing him with gleaming eyes like that of a hunter tracking down its prey. “You wanna try that again, Connie?” 

Connie mirrored her pose, bracing himself for a sudden attack. “Who knows? Ladies first.”

The two of them stared each other down, both waiting for the other to make a move. Then, Sasha’s hands lowered a fraction of an inch, and Connie, sensing weakness, struck. He tried to rush her and grab her from underneath, but midleap, he saw her grin and bring her arms back up to catch him around the waist, lifting him into the air. He choked. She’d left an opening on purpose—to bait him! 

Before he could struggle in her hold, she bolted for the water and then practically tossed him in. The water was only slightly cool, but he scrambled and splashed water everywhere, garbling curses at her, as he struggled to find footing on the slick riverbed. His right foot landed on a protruding rock, but it gave way and he fell again, resubmerging his entire body into the river. When he sat up, spluttering, Sasha was laughing and pointing at him. Behind her, Bertholdt had his hand pressed to his mouth, but his crinkled eyes and shaking shoulders betrayed his laughter.

“Damn it!” Connie cried, flinging water at Sasha. A few drops hit her, making her flinch, but it was nothing compared to how soaked he was. He had lost this round, truly and thoroughly. 

“You started it!” Sasha exclaimed, sticking out her tongue.

“The rocks hurt, y’know!” He complained, and they did. Luckily, he hadn’t landed on anything pointy, but his butt would be sore for a while. 

“Are you two...” Bertholdt started, catching their attention, and then he broke into giggles. It took him a moment to regain his composure, but Connie didn’t mind. “Well, sorry if this sounds intrusive, but a lot of people wonder... are you two dating?”

Connie processed that for a beat, and then gaped. “Me, date her?” At the same time, Sasha broke into laughter. “No way, no way!” He cried, forming a dripping X with his arms. He scrambled to his feet, taking a moment to adjust to the weight of his waterlogged clothing, and shook his head furiously. “Who’s been saying that?”

Bertholdt scratched his cheek. “...Reiner, a bit.” 

“Damn him! If he’s been saying it, then everyone will have heard!” Connie began to wade out of the river, shivering and grumbling all the while. Sasha hadn’t thrown him in too deep, so luckily the water only came to his waist. “When we get back, I’ve gotta fix that! Where’d he get that idea?”

“You two are pretty close,” Bertholdt offered, slightly apologetically. “I don’t know many people that are quite so touchy with each other. Other than family, I suppose.”

“Really?” Sasha cocked her head. “Maybe it’s a country folk thing.”

“Hey, but Bertholdt and Reiner are country folk, too,” Connie pointed out, pulling his vest off him to wring it out. “You don’t ever fool around with Reiner like this? I did, all the time, with the other kids back home.”

Bertholdt blushed a little, though Connie didn’t understand why. “Not... not like that.” Then, he seemed to withdraw into himself, his expression sobering. “Most kids I knew weren’t as open and friendly as you two.”

“Hah. I’ll take that as a compliment, then.” Connie snickered. “I’m surprised, actually. I thought Reiner would be the really outgoing type. He always has me in a chokehold.”

“Now, yes,” Bertholdt mused, gaining a faraway look in his eyes. “But he used to be more unpopular.”

“Reiner, unpopular? Seriously?” Delight shot through Connie and he exchanged a surprised look with Sasha. “I have to hear more about this.”

Bertholdt’s eyes widened, and he ducked his head. His hand hovered over his mouth, as if preparing to clamp down at any time. “Oh, um, I didn’t mean to... I said too much. Don’t tell him I said that.” He added that last part quickly.

“No, c’mon! I won’t say anything to him, so give us some details!” Connie sidled up to him, mustering his best puppy eyes at Bertholdt. 

“Yeah, Bertholdt! Please!” Sasha clasped her hands together, pulling off better puppy eyes than he ever could. “I’ll give you some of my dinner! But, er, maybe not too much. I could spare a bit of bread?”

Bertholdt looked more and more uncomfortable. He took a step back, expression shuttering, and it didn’t feel like he was playing along with their needling. Then, suddenly, Sasha grabbed Connie’s shoulder. “Actually, um,” she stammered, as he turned to her in confusion. “We should probably get a move on. We’ve still got two checkpoints to reach, and it’s been at least half an hour.”

“Huh?” Connie said, and she met him with a nervous but even stare. He looked back at Bertholdt, who wasn’t meeting their eyes. Something about his and Reiner’s childhood genuinely upset him, Connie realized. There was a sinking feeling in Connie’s stomach, as he realized that they’d misstepped somewhere, but he covered it with another grin. “R-right! We still need to find somewhere to cross, eh, Bertholdt?”

It was a clunky change in topic, but a look of relief came over Bertholdt. “Yeah. Yeah, we do.” He lifted the map, and Connie noticed that he’d been gripping it hard enough to wrinkle the edges. “We could probably get across here, actually, but it gets a little deep at the center. Connie’s already wet, so it doesn’t really matter for him—”

“Hey!” 

“Sorry, Connie. But I’d prefer not to take a swim, and I don’t think Sasha wants to either.” Bertholdt looked at Connie, who was still squeezing the water out of his clothing, with pity. “Are you cold?”

“Ugh, kind of,” Connie grumbled, wiping water off his brow. He shot a glare at Sasha, who immediately looked away. Then, his waterlogged vest was being taken out of his hands and Connie turned back to see that Bertholdt had taken off his jacket and was pressing it into Connie’s lax hands. “Hey, what are you—?”

“Wear this,” Bertholdt said, in a tone that suggested he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “It’s a pretty warm day, so I don’t need it.”

“Are you sure?” Even as Connie said that, he was hastily slipping his arms into its sleeves. The initial shock and adrenaline of their mock fight was wearing off and shivers were setting in, and the prospect of a dry coat was too inviting. The sleeves hung off his arms and he struggled to roll up the ends; as expected, something Bertholdt had been wearing was too big for him. Still, it was a huge relief. “Oh man, thanks for this. Seriously. I’ll pay you back sometime.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Bertholdt mumbled, nervously fiddling with the backpack straps. 

“Yeah, but still.” Connie knew his mom would kill him if she knew he’d been taking favors from others without due gratitude. At the very least, she’d drilled basic manners into him. “If you ever need my coat or something, just let me know.” He flashed Bertholdt a thumbs up.

A second later, he realized that anything he wore would never fit on Bertholdt. But Bertholdt only smiled at him and nodded, saying, “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

After that, Bertholdt pointed and headed downstream, and Connie and Sasha trotted behind. The coat Bertholdt had been wearing was purposefully oversized, and oversized for Bertholdt meant way, way oversized for Connie. The hem flapped around his knees, and he shivered again and pulled the thing around him like it was a raincoat. “Don’t laugh,” he hissed to Sasha, who was barely suppressing a smile. “This is your fault.”

“I would’ve offered you my coat, too, y’know,” she said, crossing her arms. “Bertholdt got to it first.”

“So?” Connie shot back. “You didn’t.”

“O-okay, but I was gonna! And besides, you were ‘bout to toss me in, too, so it was you or me. Fair’s fair.”

“Shh,” Bertholdt suddenly said, stopping, and the two of them shut up. Connie peered around Bertholdt and saw that he was staring intensely at the map, his whole face drawn up in thought. 

“What’s wrong?” Sasha piped, equally confused.

Bertholdt hummed, his eyes flickering between the map and the river. “I think that this part might be our best shot.”

“Really? It looks the same as where I fell in.” Connie squinted at the water.

“No, it’s shallower. It can be hard to tell because the water distorts our perception, but it’s definitely more doable. Looking at the map, there’s a small waterfall coming up, and I don’t want to risk things there.” Bertholdt’s mutters seemed to be more aimed at himself than anything. “The water isn’t dangerously cold, and I don’t see heavy timber growth, so... oh, hold on.” He walked to the edge of the river and kicked off his boots, then took a tentative step into the shallows. After kicking the rocks and sand around a bit, he nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Not too muddy, either. Yeah, let’s... hm?”

“Bertholdt, you’re amazing!” Sasha gasped. “I didn’t even know you could talk that much!” 

“Okay, I wouldn’t put it like that, but yeah, wow,” Connie agreed, a little taken back. That was more words than he’d heard from Bertholdt the entire year, though, to be fair, he didn’t exactly talk to him much. Maybe Reiner didn’t have to carry all the conversations between those two. “I don’t remember any of this stuff. Is this what paying attention in class gets you?” He thought that he’d been awake during all the important survival lectures, but now he doubted it. Bertholdt had definitely been going down some textbook checklist right then, and none of what he said rang any bells.

“It’s nothing much,” Bertholdt said, flushing. 

“You know, you sounded a lot like Armin just then. D’you guys study together or something?” Connie tried to remember if he’d ever seen the two hang out. When Bertholdt shook his head, Connie brought his fist into an open palm. “You guys should! You’re like... two nerds!”

“Oh.” Bertholdt frowned. “Thanks?”

“In a good way,” Connie added, hurriedly. “Plus, you talk kinda fancy. Or at least not like me and Sasha. More polite, you know?” At his side, Sasha backed him up with nods and hums of agreement.

“Guess we’re all different,” Bertholdt said, waving his hands in a dismissive manner. His face was clouding over again, likely from embarrassed modesty, and he quickly gestured to the waters. “Come on, you’re the ones who said we were moving too slowly. Let’s, uh, hurry.”

“Right, coming.” Connie waded into the water and grabbed the hem of Bertholdt’s coat and lifted it to his chest, determined not to get it wet. “Since I’m already soaked, I’ll go first.”

The water was just like before, but having control of his footing made is less of a miserable experience. He moved slowly, scoping out with his toes rocks before trusting his balance on them, and at its deepest the water came up to just below his waist. Once he reached the other shore, he splashed out and let go off the coat, waving to the other two.

They followed, and at one point Sasha wobbled precariously and Connie quietly prayed for her to topple. She didn’t, unfortunately, but other than that everything went well. They took a moment to put their shoes back on and shake off their legs, and then continued into the trees. 

Bertholdt led the way, like before, and Connie was starting to feel bad about having him do most of the work. They’d dragged him into their group, and now they were hoisting everything onto him. But he was afraid that he’d lead them all astray, and he wasn’t sure if he’d trust Sasha to work the map and compass, either. He could practically hear his mom’s lecturing voice, telling him to do his fair share, and he sighed and hung his head. 

To be fair, Bertholdt didn’t look upset. His face was calm and gave no indication that he was annoyed with how much he was doing. That didn’t mean much, though. He rarely looked upset, even when Reiner was dragging him around the barracks into one conversation or another; at most, he just looked weary or hesitant. That’s why Connie had been so surprised to see him like that earlier. It was the closest thing to anger he’d ever seen on Bertholdt’s face, and for a second time that afternoon, he wondered what had happened between him and Reiner. Probably some dumb thing Reiner did, that finally pushed Bertholdt over the edge. Connie couldn’t blame him. Reiner was a fun guy and all, everybody liked him, but he could really get on your nerves.

Plus, he was probably less charming to someone who’d known him all his life. Connie could get really sick of his siblings, sometimes, and he imagined that it was something like that.

“Ughhh,” Sasha let out, lolling her head. “I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.” Connie looked around them, but didn’t spot anything that might be edible, like berries or fruits. “You can eat the bark.”

She turned to look at the nearby trees. Her stare was so intense that for a moment, Connie thought she might actually do it. “H-hey, Sasha...”

Connie reached out to grab her collar and then Sasha bolted, making his fingers close around air. “Sasha!”

Bertholdt turned around to see Sasha clambering through the undergrowth and his eyes widened. He pushed Connie aside, making him land against tree roots with a grunt, and leaped after her. The branches crunched beneath his feet and he nearly tripped over a bush, but his long legs carried him after her at an impressive pace. She was fast, clearly used to uneven leafy terrain and low-hanging branches, but then she shouted in surprise and stumbled, and Bertholdt managed to grab her arm, pulling her back so hard that she fell, backwards, right onto her butt. From their backs, Connie could see both of them panting, more shaken than he expected. He stood up, a little confused by Bertholdt’s rush. 

He made his way over. “No need to be so rough, Bertholdt, I don’t know what...” He trailed off when he came to stand in between them. A mere foot away, the ground gave way into a ravine. It was difficult to see at first, since the cliff was lined with bushy plants and slanted trees, but it was a steep, earthy slope a few dozen feet down, leading into a small creek at the bottom. It wasn’t a fatal drop, but somebody could easily break a bone or two on the tumble.

“S-sorry,” Bertholdt managed, offering a hand to Sasha. He was sweating, slightly. “I forgot to tell you that the terrain around here was uneven... I’d been hogging the map and I was so lost in thought....”

“No, no!” Sasha exclaimed, shaking her head and hands frantically. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring Bertholdt’s hand. “That was completely my fault, I’m so sorry! I just, I thought I saw some blackberry leaves and I got too excited. Oh, no! Your trousers!” She cried, wringing her hands. “You’ve got a tear!”

Bertholdt opened his mouth to speak, but she wouldn’t hear it. “I’ll fix it when we get back! I’m no good, but it’s my fault, so I’ve gotta. I’m so, so sorry, Bertholdt! One year away outta the woods and I get this careless, my dad would be so ashamed... I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“That’s right!” Connie came up behind her and brought his fist, lightly, down onto her head. “Be more careful, Sasha! This isn’t the first time you did stupid things just ‘cause you were hungry. What if you actually fell?” 

“Agh, I’m sorry...” Sasha mumbled, bowing her head in shame. Connie wanted to be more annoyed, but she looked so frazzled and mortified that he couldn’t muster anything else towards her. Bertholdt just looked relieved, so Connie didn’t really have a right to be angry on his behalf. 

“Now we really need to hurry and get back,” Connie said. He had to wash and dry Bertholdt’s coat, and Sasha needed to mend his pants. They were really stacking their debt to Bertholdt today, weren’t they? He probably should’ve expected something like this, when they dragged someone as smart as him into teaming up with them. Now, more than an ever, a need to make himself useful welled up within Connie. “Hey, Bertholdt, hand me the map. I can figure out where to go next.”

Bertholdt started, and then began to pat himself. He paled. He took a few hesitant steps towards the cliff, gripping the branches around him for support, and peered over it.

Connie’s heart sank. “Don’t tell me...”

Bertholdt looked back at him, guilt all over his face. “I... I think I see it down there... in the water.”

Connie took a step back and slumped against a trunk. He looked at Sasha, realization and panic dawning on her, and then at Bertholdt, who was staring back over the cliff in disbelief. “Man,” he said, pressing his face into his hands. Nevermind getting to all the checkpoints all time. They’d be lucky if they could make it back with their current card. “Shadis is going to kill us.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell with me at @cottongecko!


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